Case Reports|1 April 1966

The Relation of Mastocytosis and Lymphomatous Disease

Abstract

The distribution of mast cells and particularly their presence in the marrow of normal and disease states has been subject to controversy. As recently as 1951, Fadem (1) concluded that tissue mast cells were abnormal constituents of human marrow. Subsequent reports (2-6) and our own observations covering several hundred studies in both normal subjects and persons with a wide spectrum of diseases indicate that mast cells are found in limited numbers in normal marrow. The purpose of this report is to emphasize the association of mast cells in increased numbers in small cell lymphocytic disorders and to suggest that rarely